Dynamoelectric machine



Cc. i6, 1945. J. c. BELL 2,387,050

DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINE Filed July 14, 1942 vull'l'lllllil inventori' Julius C'. Bell,

Patented Oct. 16, 1945 DYNAIVIOELECTRIC MACHINE Julius C. Bell, Swampscott, Mass., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application `luly 14, 1942, Serial No. 456,850

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in dynamo-electric machines and more particularly to an improved rotatable member of such a machine provided with a coupling for connecting the rotatable member to a driven shaft.

An object of my invention is to provide a dynamo-electric machine having an improved rotatable member and coupling construction.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent and my invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features lof novelty 'which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the drawing Fig. l is a sectional side elevational view of a dynamo-electric machine provided with van embodiment of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional partial View of a modification of the construction shown in Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing I have shown a dynamo-electric machine having a stationary member provided with a laminated core I of magnetic material mounted between. end rings II in a supporting housing I2. The stationary member I0 `is provided with an exciting winding I3 which is adapted to provide the required electromagnetic excitation for driving a rotatable member including a laminated core I4 of magnetic material. This core I4 is mounted on a sleeve or tubular portion I5 of the rotatable member which is formed integral with a relatively large weighted flywheel IE. This entire rotatable member is rotatably mountedabout a shaft Il and is rotatably supported by roller bearings I3 and I9 on the shaft I'I. The shaft Il is rotatably supported on the stationary member of the machine by roller bearings 30 and 2l which are mounted in bearing housings formed in end shields 22 and 23, respectively, secured to the stationary member housing I2. In such a construction the rotatable member of the motor is adapted to rotate freely when the weights 42 are in the position shown in Fig. 2. ln order to obtain this operation, a coupling is provided which includes a friction clutch disk member 24 slidably mounted on the shaft Il and secured thereto against rotation by a key and keyway 25. A stop ring 26 is secured by a set screw 2l on the shaft II to limit the outward axial movement of the clutch disk 24. A plurality of coil springs 28 is arranged in pockets 29 formed in the clutch disk hub 30, and these springs ex tend into pockets 3I formed in a ring 32 mounted on the shaft II so as to bias the friction clutch member disk 24 axially away from the ring 32. In order to provide a driving connection between the shaft Il and the ro-tatable member of the motor, the :friction clutch member 24 is provided with friction surface members 33 and 34 secured to ythe outer periphery thereof and arranged to engage complementary clutching surfaces 33 and 35 on the flywheel I5 and on a clutch ring 3l, respectively. The clutch ring 3l is slidably mounted on a plurality of pins 38 secured to the rotatable member flywheel vIS for rotation therewith and is biased away from the friction clutch disk 24 out of engagement with the friction driving surface 33 by an axially slidable collar 39 mounted on each of the pins 33 and biased outwardly by a coil spring 43 mounted about the pin 38 in a pocket 4I formed in the flywheel I6. A plurality of centrifugal operating members is mounted on the pins 38 and includes centrifugal weights 42 pivctally mounted on the ends ofthe pins 38 by pivot pins 43 and provided with operating fingers 44 adapted to engage the clutch ring 3l for biasing this ring into engagement with the friction disk surface 34. llhese operating members are normally biased inwardly out of engagement with the clutch ring 3'! by tension coil springs 45 secured to the Weights 42 and to the ring 3l such that the weights 42 will remain in their inward position below a predetermined speed of rotation of the rotatable member of the motor. Thus, the rotatable member of the motor will operate freely without driving the shaft Il' below a predetermined speed of operation, as the springs 40 will bias the coupling ring 3l out of contact with the friction surfa ce 34 of the clutch disk 24 and the springs 23 will bias the friction surface 33 of the clutch disk 24 out of engagement with the friction surface of the flywheel I6, thereby completely disengaging the clutch disk 24 from the rotatable member of the motor. Since the centers of gravity of the weights 42 are inward of the pins 43, rotation will not cause the weights to ily out and-connection of the rotatable member to the shaft El may be obtained when the rotatable member attains a predetermined speed by moving a ring 4? arranged to engage fingers 43 in a groove 4S in the ring so as to bias the fingers 48 outwardly to move the centers of the Weights 43 outwardly past the pins 43. From this position the centrifugal weights 42 will move outwardly against the restraining biasing force of the springs 45, and the fingers i4 of the centrifugal operating members will press the clutch ring 3l into engagement with the friction surface 34 of the clutch disk 24 and will bias the friction surface 33 of the clutch disk 24 into engagement with the friction surface 35 of the flywheel I'B to provide a driving connection between the rotatable member of the motor and the shaft l1. Disconnection of the rotatable member of the motor from the shaft Il to prevent the operation of the centrifugaloperating mechanism of the coupling is obtained by mounting the collar 46 axially movable on the shaft il and arranging the ring 41 to engage the centrifugal weights 42 for biasing them to their inward position, thereby disengaging the friction surfaces of the clutch disk 24 with the corresponding friction surfaces of the rotatable member of the motor. The centrifugal operating members are locked in their inward position by the engagement of fingers 48 with the sides of the groove 49 in the ring 4l. Operation of this uncoupling device is obtained by a manually operable lever 50 which is pivotally secured to the stationary member end shield 22 by a pivot pin I and extends to the exterior thereof through an opening 52. This operating lever is provided with a bifurcated end.53 provided with a conventional sliding pin coupling 54 arranged in engagement with a groove 55 formed in the axially slidable collar 46 to provide for biasing the collar 46 axially ltoward and away from the friction clutch disk 24. In order to provide against damage to the coupling mechanism, it is entirely enclosed by the stationary member housing l2 and the end shield 22.

In Fig. 2 is shown a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. l, wherein the friction clutch disk 24 is biased out of engagement with the friction surface of the flywheel I6 by a shoulder 56 formedV on the slidable collar 39. The shoulder 56 projects into engagement with the end of the friction clutch disk 24 and when the centrifugal weights d2 are in their inward position as shown in this figure, their coil springs bias the collar 39 outwardly such that the outer end of the collar 39 engages the coupling ring 31 before the shoulder 56 engages the end 57 of the clutch disk 24. This biases the friction surface 35 of the clutch ring 31 out of engagement with the friction surface 34 of the clutch disk 24 and subsequently biases the friction surface 33 out of engagement with the friction surface 35 of the flywheel l. The remainder of the construction of this machine may be substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1.

While I have illustrated and described particular embodiments of my invention, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. 'I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to be limited to the particular arrangements disclosed, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a dynamo-electric machine having a stationary member and a shaft rotatably supported on said stationary member and a rotatable member supported on and rotatably mounted about said shaft, means including a coupling including a plurality of clutch members and pivotally mounted centrifugal operating members having a cam surface formed on one end thereof arranged to actuate said clutch members for interconnecting said rotatable member and said shaft only on said rotatable member attaining a predetermined speed, means for biasing said centrifugal operating members inwardly around said pivotal mountings with the center of gravity thereof biased axially inwardly of said pivotal mountings for placing said centrifugal operating members in inoperative positions, one of said coupling clutch members being secured to said rotatable member and another being secured to said shaft, surfaces on said coupling clutch members arranged to engage one another frictionally, means for resiliently biasing apart said friction coupling members to disengaged positions when said centrifugal operating members are in inoperative positions, and means including a locking ring for moving and locking said centrifugal operating members in inoperai tive positions to provide for disengagement of said friction coupling members and arranged for moving said centrifugal operating members to operative positions with the center of gravity of said centrifugal operating members axially outwardly of said pivotal mountings.

2. In a dynamo-electric machine having a stationary member and a shaft rotatably supported on said stationary member and a rotatable member supported on and rotatably mounted about said shaft, means including a coupling including a plurality of clutch members and pivotally mounted centrifugal operating members having a cam surface formed on one end thereof arranged to actuate said clutch members for interconnecting said rotatable member and said shaft only on said rotatable member attaining a predetermined speed, one of said coupling clutch members being secured to said rotatable member and another being secured to said shaft, surfaces on said coupling clutch members arranged to engage one another frictionally, resilient means for biasing said centrifugal operating member into inoperative positions below a predetermined speed, means including a locking ring for moving said centrifugal operating members out of inoperative positions and also for moving and locking said centrifugal operating members in inoperative positions, and means for biasing apart said friction coupling members to disengaged positions when said centrifugal operating members are in inoperative positions.

3. In a dynamo-electric machine having a stationary member and a shaft rotatably supported on said stationary member and a rotatable member supported on and rotatably mounted about said shaft, means including a coupling including two clutch members and pivotally mounted centrifugal operating members having a cam surface formed on one end thereof arranged to actuate said clutch members for interconnecting said rotatable member and said shaft, one of said coupling clutch members being secured to said rotatable member and the other being secured to said shaft within said stationary member, surfaces on said coupling clutch members arranged to engage one another frictionally, means including a non-rotatable handle extending through said stationary member and a locking ring operatively connected thereto for. moving and locking said centrifugal operating membersin inoperative positions, resilient means for biasing saidY centrifugal operating members to inoperative positions below a predetermined speed, and means for biasing apart said friction coupling members to disengaged positions when said centrifugal operating members are in inoperative positions. Y Y

JULIUS C. BELL. 

